http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=116792373&gid=126651&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eecoseed%2Eorg%2Fen%2Fgeneral-green-news%2Fgreen-topics%2Fgreen-transportation%2Felectric-vehicles%2F6650&urlhash=yO_A&trk=news_discuss


Notice who is working on this - E.ON, EDF,- looks like they are aiming 
to power Britain's cars with nuclear and coal, which is exactly what we 
must stop! But this isn't a reason to oppose electric vehicles - keeping 
the internal combustion engine will mean fuelling it with either fossil 
fuels or agrofuels, both of which have horrendous consequences.

I believe the way forward is to press for the replacement of the 
internal combustion engine with electric engines as fast as we can, and 
at the same time demand the phasing out of coal and nuclear power 
stations and their replacement with renewables

Chris

I.B.M. looks into how electric vehicles fit Britain’s grid
Friday, 19 March 2010 08:14
By Jen Balboa
[Green News] Among the concerns is the correct design for linking 
electric vehicle charging points to distribution networks.

I.B.M. will study the potential impact of electric vehicles on Britain’s 
electricity grid to figure out the kind of infrastructure needed to 
develop an electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid mass market in the country.

Apart from analyzing how growth in electric vehicle recharging could 
impact Britain’s electricity distribution networks, I.B.M.’s study will 
also address the regulatory, legislative and commercial issues which may 
affect the sector in future.

Among the concerns is the correct design for linking electric vehicle 
charging points to distribution networks and how the network should be 
designed such that it can be easily maintained.

I.B.M. will do the study with Britain’s Energy Technologies Institute, 
along with EDF Energy, E.ON and Imperial Consultants.

The study, one of three projects launched as part of the institute’s £11 
million ($16 million) program for light vehicle electrification, 
represent the largest electric vehicle analysis in the world to date.

It will involve over 3,000 vehicles owned and driven by consumers. Over 
11,000 charge points will be installed across areas in the English 
regions of London, the South East, Midlands and the North East.

All the projects seek to come up with overall system architecture for 
integrating plug-in vehicles.

"Electric vehicles have enormous potential for creating a cleaner 
transport system to help the U.K. meet its 2050 carbon reduction 
targets,” said Jon Bentley, energy and environment partner at I.B.M. 
Global Business Services.

“However, there is uncertainty over the pace of vehicle development, 
consumer take-up and patterns of usage and charging.”

“It is important we anticipate the likely requirements these 
developments will have for grid enhancement and the need for an 
intelligent architecture," Mr. Bentley pointed out.

The British government has just recently committed £300 million ($454 
million) to create the infrastructure for plug-in vehicles. Setup of 
supporting infrastructure has been initiated in London, the North East 
and Milton Keynes.

The government, through the Office for Low Emission Vehicles, will also 
release another set of grants of up to £5,000 for consumers who would 
buy ultra-low carbon cars.

I.B.M.
I.B.M. (NYSE:
IBM
) is itself involved in over 60 smart grid projects around the world. 
The company is currently working with Malta to develop its first 
nationwide smart grid system.

I.B.M. has also completed a pilot project with DONG Energy in Denmark to 
install remote monitoring and control devices to gain information about 
the grid – a project which has reportedly reduced outage times in 
Denmark by 25 percent to 50 percent.

I.B.M. said on Tuesday that it will transform Peterborough into a 
sustainable city through the introduction of an online platform which 
will monitor and analyze the city’s energy, water, transport and waste 
systems.

I.B.M. is also collaborating with the Edison research consortium in 
Denmark to find out how millions of electric vehicles can be turned into 
a distributed energy storage system for the country's wind energy plans.

Another green energy research finds I.B.M. exploring the commercial 
viability of lithium air batteries which could allow electric vehicles 
to travel up to 500 miles on one charge.